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pull-up plateau
May. 10th, 2012 07:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coffeetimeSo, it looks like I will not hit my goal of 10 pull-ups by mid-June. ARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH.
I've been following Stumptuous's "Mistressing the Pull-Up."
In January, I could do 0.
In March, I was suddenly able to do 3. By the end of the month, I managed 4.
In April, I made it, barely, to 5. That's really hard. The last one has highly imperfect form. I'm either kipping slightly or, if I'm in the assisted pull-up station with the pad disengaged, I'm giving myself a tiny boost with one toe to finish that fifth one. I can barely do it.
For the second set, I can usually do 3. I can never do more than 3. Sometimes it's only 2.
So, I asked some friends for opinions. One guy said do all my 5, then jump down and do 10 push-ups. Then for the second set, do 3 pull-ups and 10 more push-ups. Another guy said do them with weight. (I had to tie a 10-lb plate to myself with a yoga strap, because there are no belts that fit me.) With the push-ups, I can do my usual sets; with the weight I can only manage 3 the first time, 2 the second time. Yesterday I did the pull-up/push-up combo and then did a couple of sets of negatives.
I talked to a trainer at the gym and asked what am I doing wrong here, what am I missing? He asked if I'm doing other exercises (yes, close-grip pull-downs or one-handed pull-downs, one-armed rows, overhead press, bench, back flyes, all those negatives). He said, "You're doing everything right. It's just hard to do. It's really hard for a woman. You're making good progress."
This does not feel like progress, to get stuck at 5 and stay there. I'm tired of hearing how I'm a woman and all. No kidding.
I've been following Stumptuous's "Mistressing the Pull-Up."
In January, I could do 0.
In March, I was suddenly able to do 3. By the end of the month, I managed 4.
In April, I made it, barely, to 5. That's really hard. The last one has highly imperfect form. I'm either kipping slightly or, if I'm in the assisted pull-up station with the pad disengaged, I'm giving myself a tiny boost with one toe to finish that fifth one. I can barely do it.
For the second set, I can usually do 3. I can never do more than 3. Sometimes it's only 2.
So, I asked some friends for opinions. One guy said do all my 5, then jump down and do 10 push-ups. Then for the second set, do 3 pull-ups and 10 more push-ups. Another guy said do them with weight. (I had to tie a 10-lb plate to myself with a yoga strap, because there are no belts that fit me.) With the push-ups, I can do my usual sets; with the weight I can only manage 3 the first time, 2 the second time. Yesterday I did the pull-up/push-up combo and then did a couple of sets of negatives.
I talked to a trainer at the gym and asked what am I doing wrong here, what am I missing? He asked if I'm doing other exercises (yes, close-grip pull-downs or one-handed pull-downs, one-armed rows, overhead press, bench, back flyes, all those negatives). He said, "You're doing everything right. It's just hard to do. It's really hard for a woman. You're making good progress."
This does not feel like progress, to get stuck at 5 and stay there. I'm tired of hearing how I'm a woman and all. No kidding.
